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I think there is still some confusion over the difference of where a racket is actually manufactured and the distribution code found on the cone.

we as a consumer just label the racket made in japan is high end and, regardless the number and the price. are they less inferior?
thats my question.

for example if yonex did not tell you where the racket was built and the price.
is the one made in taiwan somehow less inferior as far as quality ?

We the consumer did not decide what is or isn't high end. Yonex has many different technologies available when designing and manufacturing their rackets. The "high end" rackets have more of that technology. The ArcZ, Arc10, NS9900, Armortec 900's and more are all made in Japan regardless of their distribution code. They are considered "high end" by both Yonex and the consumer. They are also more expensive. The armortec 100, for example, is not made in Japan but probably Taiwan. Is there a difference between the 100 and the 900? YES!

Yonex has made the decision that they will manufacture the more expensive, more technologically advanced rackets in Japan. That's it. Could Taiwan produce the rackets as well? Maybe but we don't know that. Another thing to keep in mind is that with all the fake rackets out there, Yonex is probably trying to protect their manufacturing secrets by producing them only in Japan. This makes good business sense.

I'll provide another example, my G35 (skyline for those outside north america) is manufactured in Japan as opposed to Canada or the US. That made a difference in my choice to purchase it over another vehicle.

FYI, Cab30ms is made in Japan. It is cheaper than AT70 or ARC008. Is my Cab30ms better or worse than the other 2 racquets? No, the racquet is as good as the person using it and the player actually like it. Fleet racquet is made in Taiwan and it is as good as Yonex (man I am in shiit now) in some models in same price range.

I think there are two things to keep in mind... regardless of where the products are manufactured you still get some variations in quality which is where quality control comes in.

I know that the Japanese make certain products for the JDM (japanese domestic market) and have no trouble believing that they would hold back the "best" tested products for the JDM. Whether true or not, there is still a certain amount of prestige in owning a JP coded racket regardless of whether there is any difference or not.

Whether japanese made Yonex are better than other brands made in Taiwan is a completely separate discussion.

We say what we can do with the racket, not what the racket can do for us

Originally Posted by t1nosupr1mo

if that doesn't make any sense how people keep saying instead of buying yonex made in taiwan youre better off buying other brand because they are better.

that's whats spark my curiosity.

.
Don't worry too much where the racket is made. As long as it feels good when you use it, that is the important thing.

We can say that we play better with a racket because it feels better. For me, it is what I can do with the racket, not what the racket can do for me.

Currently, many find Japanese made rackets are of higher quality. This is probably because of better quality control. But will a Japanese made racket improve our playing performance, I would have to say 'no'. And if we don't like the feel of it, we will probably not want to use it.
.

i understand the confusion now. Yonex distribute different rackets to different country/markets. in Hong Kong, they still have MP99, MP66, MP45 which i believe are made in Japan. anything at or below MP25, i am not sure.

haha good to hear that Hong Kong Still has mp99 im gonna get my 2nd one cuz i love it that much <3

if that doesn't make any sense how people keep saying instead of buying yonex made in taiwan youre better off buying other brand because they are better.

that's whats spark my curiosity.

In reality it wouldn't matter where the low end rackets are made, value for the money you're going to find better rackets from other less known brands. To me it has nothing to do with where they are made and more with value.

If you're going to spend $100 on a racket there are better choices than Yonex regardless of where that particular racket is made...

If there are some that say don't buy low end Yonex because they are made in Taiwan then that's their opinion.

IMO, you worded your original query poorly which is why we spent so much time trying to figure out what exactly you wanted to know.

In reality it wouldn't matter where the low end rackets are made, value for the money you're going to find better rackets from other less known brands. To me it has nothing to do with where they are made and more with value.

If you're going to spend $100 on a racket there are better choices than Yonex regardless of where that particular racket is made...

If there are some that say don't buy low end Yonex because they are made in Taiwan then that's their opinion.

IMO, you worded your original query poorly which is why we spent so much time trying to figure out what exactly you wanted to know.

Ppl are more willing to pay high prices for "Made in Japan" compared to "Made in Taiwan" and then "Made in China".

Made in Japan: Oooo.. it must be good.
Made in Taiwan: Don't they made bicycle and computers?
Made in China: That's where my shoes come from! and my clothings... and .....

I agree with the Uncle George, the so called impression of Japan made is always the better...
But with the right material, right machine and right technique, anywhere can produce excellent racket. Looks at Victor and Li-Ning...

Only thing is YY is keeping its own R&D knowledge itself in Japan and only distribute some little tiny knowledge to their OEM in Taiwan and China for the cheaper price racket...

As the made in Japan racket is expensive, do mind that the labor cost and expenses in Japan is a few times far more higher from China and Taiwan too...

This topic has been discussed before. As long as the manufacture pay attention to what they make and do good QC, what made in China can be as good as in Taiwan or Japan.
In case of YY, this I can tell you.
1) All the higher end racquets are made in Japan. They use newer materials and newer tech and newer manufacturing process. Are they better quality vs the one made in Taiwan? Not really, YY use the same quality control for the factory in Japan and Taiwan. I can tell you is the YY racquets made in Japan has better tech, and newer manufacture process and labor is higher in Japan.
2) The YY racquet that is made in china, they are made by contract factories and the QC is not as strict. So yes, they are not as high quality and not as good.

Please note that LN makes very good racquets. Just like Victor factory use high QC in china. they also makes very high quality racquets.
There are many manufactures in Taiwan who develop their own process and use different materials they have as high quality as YY in Japan.

Please understand, you pay for what you get. If you are in market for a new racquet, where it made is not as important as a racquet that fits you. YY may not have the racquet that fit you the best. demo something else if that is the case.